Fuzzy Hormones
by PowderedxLion
Summary: Hormones and feelings become fuzzy for Katara after forgiving Zuko, while Zuko struggles with his own urges for the Waterbender. With all of the animosity gone, the passion they previously harbored must go somewhere, right?
1. Sand Cupid? Maybe

**Summary:**Takes place between the Southern Raiders episode and the Ember Island one. Hormones and feelings become fuzzy for Katara after forgiving Zuko, while Zuko struggles with his own urges for the Waterbender.

**^.~**

**AN:**Hey, guys, it has been years since I worked up the courage and made time to write a fanfic. This is actually my first Zutara fanfic, so hopefully there will be at least somebody who will enjoy it. This idea has been floating around in my head for a couple of weeks now. I am trying not to make the characters too OOC, so wish me luck!

**Yes, yes, I don't own Avatar, you know the drill.**

* * *

"…_but I am ready to forgive you."_

Those words reverberated through Zuko's mind for the umpteenth time. The bed shifted as he turned from his stomach on to his back. A smile graced his face at the remembrance of that day: Katara had forgiven him. Ever since she had forgiven him, her attitude towards him changed. Not many words are exchanged between the two, but her comments to him were no longer laced with contempt and sarcasm.

A couple of weeks have elapsed since they encountered Yon Rha. At his insistence, Zuko led the gang to his abandoned home on Ember Island. It was a strange feeling knowing that the last time he was here Azula, Ty Lee, and Mai were present.

_Mai._

He mentally cringed. Aside from the unplanned reunion with her at Boiling Rock, his thoughts did not lie with her since he joined the Avatar. To be truthful, the female entertaining his thoughts as of late was the Waterbender. In the beginning, he kept tinkering with various ideas to earn her acceptance. He could not tolerate the distrust she harbored for him. His mind was focused on trying to mend their fragile relationship from Ba Sing Se.

Even after she hugged him with arm opens and forgiveness, he continued to muse about her. He was not blind, Zuko has always been aware of her attractiveness, but it's different now. They were on the same side; she even smiles at him now! Zuko slapped his open palm on his forehead.

_She would never be interested in me in that kind of way. She has the Avatar, and I am just a banished prince with a scarred face._

A slight knock on the door pulled Zuko from his self-deprecation.

He sighed and sat up with his back against the wall. "Come in."

Katara opened the door, allowing herself in. "Hey, dinner should be ready soon." Her response was met with a nod. Feeling awkward with the silence, she walked over to Zuko's bed and sat on the edge furthest away from him. She absentmindedly ran her fingers in a circular motion on the ruby colored, satin sheets. She eyes gazed upwards as she stated, "Your place is really nice. I'm surprised that besides the dust, everything is in mint condition." Her cerulean eyes traveled to meet his amber ones.

Oh, how he could get lost in those eyes…

"Oh, uh, thanks." He quickly berated himself for his inept ability to speak smoothly. Words were always a hit or miss with him, usually a miss. Remembering the second half of her statement he abruptly added, "Every time we left we had servants maintain the house in our absence. I guess when the servants realized that we weren't coming back they placed a tarp on a lot of the furniture to preserve it. Is your room to your liking?" He had hoped she would like the room he suggested for her. Her room had a vast window that lets the moonlight spill into the room. How ethereal she must look in her bed as the light of the moon caressed her skin. What does she wear to bed in the privacy of her own room? He groaned inwardly to himself at the possibilities. He really has to stop thinking like this.

She beamed at his question. "Oh! I love it! I just feel so peaceful at night. I can even hear the waves crashing at night. It's always nice to be near the water. Oh! I have to check on the food before Sokka eats it all!" Katara let out a sigh at her last statement. She stood up from his bed and exited his room.

Katara took brisk steps down the empty hallway. She placed her hand over her heart in attempt to pacify her heartbeat. Sometimes she cannot help it, but she would become very excited when she is near him. So, yeah, she could have easily sent Aang to let Zuko know that dinner would be served soon, but she had wanted to make an excuse to talk to him.

Ever since she met Zuko she has lost track of how many times she wished for his disappearance from the world. When he was the enemy, his face always provoked ire. She swore to herself to never forgive him after his betrayal at Ba Sing Se. Needless to say, she was fueled with rage when he tried to join the group, and was bitter when he actually became a member.

She moved her hand from her chest to her mother's necklace. Zuko offered her a chance for closure, and his actions spoke volumes to her. Once she did catch Yon Rha, Zuko did not pressure her to kill the murderer. Additionally, he did not judge her for sparing the pathetic, old man. Zuko respected her actions, and that touched her heart.

Just a few a weeks ago she resented him with a passion, but now this passion is one that makes her stomach perform flips. During Aang's firebending practice with Zuko, the Waterbender cannot help, but to compare their physiques with one another.

Aang was a slim boy with a minimal amount of muscles flexing as his fire punches the air. Zuko, however, had more muscle mass on his frame. His abdominal muscles and biceps are more defined. One of her favorite places to admire is his v-cut abs. La, what pleasures lie further down?

Katara shook her head and chastise herself for thinking of her newly acquired friend in such a lewd manner.

"There you are! Is the food ready yet? I am pretty hungry..." Sokka's comment snapped her out of her reverie. He patted his stomach to emphasis his hunger.

"Oh, be patient!"

"I don't know, Katara, he seemed to be looking at Momo a little too eagerly!" Toph had a smirk as she leaned against her chair with her head resting over her finger laced hands with her elbows bent outwards.

"I would never eat Momo! Besides, I did not look-HEY! Stop doing that!" Everyone laughed at Sokka.

"Sokka, you really have to stop falling for Toph's jokes." Suki giggled. She took a seat at the table next to her boyfriend.

"Don't worry about it, Sokka; you can't help the fact that I am a genius!" Toph grinned at herself.

Zuko entered the room, taking note that he was the last to join the group. Suki and Sokka sat on one side of the table, while Toph and Aang sat the opposite side. That left him either sitting next to Sokka or Aang. If he sat next to Aang, then that would mean he would have a front row view of the couple throwing goo-goo eyes at each other. He pulled the chair out next to Sokka.

"Okay! The food is ready." Katara carried a large tray with six bowls of stew. She passed out each of the bowls to her friends one by one.

When she gave Aang his bowl he put his hands over hers and expressed his thanks before taking his dinner from her grasp. Feeling a little uncomfortable with lingering stare from him she offered a small smile. "You're welcome, Aang."

Zuko did not miss the interaction between the two benders. Aang is obviously infatuated with the girl, but did she reciprocate his feelings? It didn't seem like it to Zuko. Or maybe he was trying to trick himself to believe that she isn't interested in the Avatar.

"Here you go." Katara placed the bowl in front of Zuko.

"Thanks, Katara. It smells delicious." Katara smiled at Zuko's compliment before taking her seat to enjoy her own dinner.

"You're welcome, and thanks. I am sure it doesn't match up to the finery of royal dinners though," Katara remarked as she swirled her stew with a spoon.

Sokka stuffed his face as he said, "Who cares? It's good!" one large gulped later he added, "Besides, who needs fine dining, when we are _fine_ people? Am I right? Am I right?"

Katara chuckled, "I suppose so."

"Fine dining means nothing when you are eating with Azula and my father," Zuko's comment brought an unpleasant silence to the room. He resisted an urge to face palm himself. He really has to stop ruining moments. He cleared his throat, "It is nice to finally eat with people who can laugh." Feeling a little uneasy at his confession he went back to eating his meal.

Aang gave a warm smile. "It's good to have you here, Zuko."

The group started their own private conversations with one another. Zuko indiscreetly snuck glances at Katara throughout dinner. Her laughter was rich and pleasing to his ears. He was captivated with her lips whenever she blew on her dinner to cool it down. Her lips look so soft. Trying to distract himself, he decided to join Suki and Sokka's conversation on what makes flaming fire flakes so scrumptious.

Taking a break from conversing with Suki and Sokka, Katara studied Zuko as he spoke to the couple. She enjoyed hearing his deep voice. Katara noticed how shaggy his hair has gotten since she met him. Zuko has always been handsome, even with his ponytail, but she preferred his head full of hair.

Toph was teasing Aang when she felt two heartbeats increase exponentially. The Earthbender noticed that this has been a common occurrence between both Katara and Zuko as of late. Toph smirked.

She exclaimed, "Hey, guys, let's go out to the beach tonight!"

Everyone looked at each other for approval. They haven't had a night of real fun in awhile.

"Yeah, after all of the training I have been doing, I wouldn't mind a break," Aang was more than excited to spend the evening at the beach. The group nodded and broke out into wide grins.

"Let's go!" cheered Sokka. He grabbed Suki's hand and ran out to the beach.

Aang was about to make a comment to Katara before Toph interrupted him, "Come on, Twinkle Toes, we're going to make sand tanks and fortresses!" Toph wrapped her arm around his as she hurried him to the door. Aang shot an apologetic smile to Katara. Katara's eyebrow twitched.

"Ugh! I wanted to go out with them, but they left me with all of these dishes to clean up! I am not their mother," exasperated Katara. She closed her eyes and began massaging her temple.

Zuko seized this opportunity to remain on the Waterbender's good side as he started gathering all of the dishes. He managed to grab every bowl silently before she opened her eyes. He made his way toward the water basin in the corner of the room. Katara opened her eyes to ready to grab the bowls before she realized the table was empty. She turned around at the sound of swishing water. Zuko was doing the dishes for her.

Katara flicked her wrists to bend the water from the basin to remove the food particles from the bowl in Zuko's hands. Zuko heated his hands to dry off the bowl. Katara sauntered to the banished prince. They continued washing the rest of the dishes. He never had the need to use his firebending other than combat or survival, but using his ability for household chores definitely cut the time in half.

"Thanks, Zuko. At least somebody has the decency to stay behind and help." Katara was on her last bowl before handing it to her drying partner.

Heating up the bowl he admitted, "Well, you prepared the food, so I thought I should at least do my part and clean up after myself. Also, I am not a slob." He placed the final bowl with the others.

Deciding to be daring Katara she opened her palm upwards, wiggled her fingers, and splashed Zuko's head with water.

"Hey!" Katara chortled at Zuko's reaction. Narrowing his eyes, his body began emit steam. In the midst of her chuckles, Zuko plunged his hand in the basin and returned the favor to Katara. Immediately, her laughter came to a halt as water made its way to her mouth. She spat the water in Zuko's face. He frowned at the moist impact. Katara snickered at her victory.

"Don't think this is over. We're finishing this at the beach." Displeased with the grimy liquid drying on his face, he felt the need to push her further. His adrenaline began pumping at the thought of sparring with the Waterbender. He wasn't one to retreat from a fight, playful or not.

Refusing to back down from a challenge she readily accepted. Not wasting a moment, she sprinted out to the beach. He took off after her unable to conceal the predatory look on his face.

When Katara's bare feet made contact with the sand she felt her pace diminish significantly. She hurried to the water while stripping down to her bindings. Hearing her opponent's feet lightly grazing the sand beneath him made her heart pound heavily in her ears. He was closing in on her.

As he was making his way to catch up to her he saw articles of clothing strewn across the sand. The image of her stripping outside his home elicited an arousing response to his groin. Some paces later he spotted her dashing towards the water. Picking up speed, the gap between the two shrank. He was several feet away before Katara she twisted her lithe form towards him with both arms raised above her. A wave of water appeared over her head, and she dropped her arms swiftly to her sides.

Not breaking his rhythm he dodged to his right and shot a blast of fire from his left hand. A wall of steam separated the two from seeing each other clearly. His sprint eased down to a complete stop as he bent his knees and readied his arms for battle.

"Not bad, Waterbender," whispered the teen. He spotted a figure moving rapidly towards him, and waited for his moment to strike. As the steam cleared he saw her approaching him with a ball comprised of seawater and seaweed in one of her palms. Katara slung her arm backwards before launching her weapon at Zuko.

Seeing his opening he darted out straight to her, and made eye contact.

Katara was confident with her seaweed ball until she caught his eyes. These golden eyes held ardor, exuberance, and something she could not place her finger on. Unfortunately for her, that something sparked her curiosity, which led to her hesitation.

Zuko took advantage of her momentary pause and jumped over her. Katara stalled. Before she could turn around, Zuko crouched to the ground and kicked her feet out from under herself.

_SPLASH_

Her seaweed ball exploded in the sand by her stomach. Katara knitted her eyebrows together in vexation as she panted. She stared upwards to see Zuko towering over her as he looked down at her with a hint of smugness. His haughtiness did not last long once he took a moment to let the scenery sink in.

Katara's bounded chest was rising and dropping with every breath she made. Her hair was freed from her topknot as it spilled partially over her covered breasts. Her exposed stomach was covered in droplets of water from her seaweed ball. The curve of her hips earned a gulp from the young man.

Katara felt his eyes taking in her body. A blush rose to her cheeks and a warm sensation was coiling in her lower tummy.

_I want to cover myself up for modesty's sake, but the way he is looking at me makes me feel strangely good._Katara contemplated as to whether to end his little show or give him something to really look out. She decided on former, and coughed to get his attention.

"Ah, sorry," Zuko muttered. He felt the heat rise to his face. She had caught him blatantly gawking at her body. He walked around her body to face her, and offered his hand. Katara grinned; she wasn't going to let him win that easy. She grabbed his forearm and leveraged her weight against his as she pulled him down next to her. Katara sprung herself on her feet, and turned towards him.

"Can't let you win that easy, can I?" She winked at him.

"You cheated." Zuko rose to his feet.

"All is fair in love and war," sang Katara. She observed her surrounds. It just occurred to her that this is the longest Zuko and her have been together alone on pleasant terms. A part of her felt giddy for finally spending more time with him. "We should probably join the gang." Katara retraced her steps to retrieve her discarded clothing.

Zuko reluctantly agreed. He really wanted to continue their one-on-one mock fight.

The two shared their thoughts about their miniature battle and exchanged laughs as they made their way to the rest of the group.

"Look who decided to join us. You guys have been gone for awhile!" Toph was the first to announce their entrance. Everyone else paused to see the two benders walking together.

"Katara, I was going to go and check up on you, but I got caught up with Toph's game. I have to take down all 3 of her sand fortresses with sand missiles before she takes down mine. It's tough to block her attacks!" Aang stood up and brushed the sand off of his knees. "Since we are all here, we should play a new game together! I know one that we can play in the water"

"What kind of game did you have in mind, Aang?" questioned Suki.

"We can play Air Nomad. One person closes their eyes and says 'Air,' and everyone else says 'Nomad'. The person with their eyes closed has to find everyone based on the sound of their voice."

"Well, seeing how I will find everyone in two seconds, I won't be the Air person," announced Toph. _Also, I will make this even more fun for Sparky and Sweetness._

"I want to be blind first!" called out Sokka. Sokka ran into the water with everyone else in tow.

"Air!"

"Nomad!"

"Air!"

"Nomad!"

"Air!" shouted out Sokka.

"Nomad!" His arms were stretched out to find someone, but everyone kept laughing and splashing water at him to throw him off.

"You know, this whole blind thing is pretty hard!"

"Oh, you don't say," a sarcastic reply answered. Toph made sure to keep her feet planted to the ground below her. _Now this is where the fun begins_. She could sense that Zuko and Katara were near each other. She stomped on the sand beneath her to adjust the floor level that Zuko and Katara were standing on.

Katara was about to splash Sokka with water, but lost her footing and balance. She was wobbled to stay upright, however, was inevitably knocked into Zuko. He awkwardly caught her in his arms.

"Um, hi," she was not used to the proximity of their bodies. Katara looked straight at his bare chest. "Your shirt is gone," she dully noted. She could feel the contrast of his warm chest against hers in the cool water.

"Yeah, I took it off before I got into the water." He felt how small her waist was around his arms. He enjoyed how well she fitted against him. "Are you okay?" He subconsciously pulled her closer to him. Zuko felt that burning desire to run his hands against her sides, back, and other places he shouldn't be thinking of.

Katara nodded.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Katara! I thought you were Sokka," Toph apologized sweetly. Katara and Zuko immediately pulled apart.

"Aha! I found Suki! Alright, I give up. This is too hard." Sokka opened his eyes and hunched his shoulders in defeat.

"Well, at least you found me," comforted Suki.

Sokka puffed out his chest, "Why, yes I did."

"It's getting late; we should retire for the night." Aang yawned and swam back to shore. The rest of the teens followed suit.

Katara and Zuko did not make eye contact on the way back to their temporary home. Aang made it easy for Katara not to ogle at the Firebender that has been evoking warm tingling sensations throughout her body on multiple occasions. Aang missed her attention, and was replaying his sand feud with Toph.

Zuko accelerated his stride to avoid a certain female that has been clouding his thoughts with forbidden feelings.

He reached his room and tossed himself on top of his bed.

_I want her in ways I can't have._

Katara entered into her room and plopped herself on top of her bed.

_What do I want from him?_

* * *

**AN:Feel free to leave feedback and/or criticisms! I am curious to see what you guys think.**

**:D**


	2. Mr Fix It? False Alarm

**Summary**:Takes place after Southern Raiders episode. Hormones and feelings become fuzzy for Katara after forgiving Zuko, while Zuko struggles with his own urges for the Waterbender.

^.~

Author's Note at the end.

Yes, yes, I don't own Avatar, you know the drill.

* * *

"Ugh! Why can't I fall asleep?" Katara flung the sheets off with great vigor. She grabbed a towel as she stomped out of her room. "Maybe a warm bath will do me some good," she whispered to herself.

She stepped out of her room to the hallway. The corridor always seemed too spacious for her. Smaller spaces were the norm back at home; shrugging, she continued her amble until she made it to the washroom.

After one, quiet creak of the door, she was in. Katara walked up to the clawfoot tub to twist the hot water knob on.

_Oh! The pleasures of indoor plumbing! I suppose royalty has its perks. _

With that thought in mind, she made her way to a full body mirror. The Waterbender twirled her hair around her finger, smiled, winked at the mirror, and gave herself the once-over.

_Back at home, girls my age would start thinking about potential male suitors for marriage. It would have only been a year or two before I would have to commit myself to someone. I love being part of the front line protecting and helping those who need it, but…_

"Sometimes I just want to be a girl!" she finished her cryptic thoughts aloud, before finishing off in a delicate whisper, "so few are the occasions where I feel feminine."

A simple sigh passed her lips as she began to remove clothing. She missed her Southern Water Tribe clothes, but her Fire Nation attire made the warmer weather bearable. With all of her clothing folded neatly by her foot, she scrutinized her body.

Slender fingers slid up and down her sinewy arms. Katara smirked. Her endless hours of waterbending, be it practicing solo or training Aang, paid off. Her hands traveled to her breasts. She made a wry smile. They have grown since she started traveling, but she still could not shake off the prick of envy at the thought that Suki's appeared to be larger. Moving lower, the tips of her fingers slid down her smooth abdomen. Continuing down her path, her hands splayed out towards her hips.

"I'm finally filling out," she muttered. Noting that the water level was drawing near to the top, Katara headed over to the tub. Her toes curled when they made contact with the warm fluid. Finding a comfortable spot, she sat still against the tub, letting the water soothe her body. Typically, sleep welcomes her, but tonight was different. Regardless of the sleeping position, Katara was antsy. She was confused.

Bringing her fingers to her lips, she recalled the kiss Aang and her shared at the invasion. In that kiss, he exerted passion, but she could not say it was reciprocated. She wasn't expecting it, but she wasn't adverse to it. With so much going on, Katara has yet to sort out her feelings for the young Airbender.

Now that Zuko has been added to the mixture, her romantic desires were all addled. Was she genuinely attracted to him? She knew tidbits about him, but it wasn't as if they engaged in daily, drawn out conversations. All of these changes in a short time span were a lot to handle. Months ago, she was at the Southern Water Tribe with Sokka and Gran Gran. Fast forward some months, she was traveling with the Avatar and her new friends. Sokka was the only male near her age at home, but now there were two guys sleeping in the same house. Taking a peek down at her bosom she could not help but to wonder about her physical changes.

_When I was younger, Gran Gran did tell me that not only will my body change, but I will even experience a tingling, warming sensation when I am attracted to a guy. I wish she elaborated more. I already found myself having a tingly reaction in my tummy when I look at Zuko. Am I only physically attracted to him? What about Aang? _

Flustered with her thoughts, she dunked her head in the water.

x x x

"Grr! Those two are animals. Is a good night's rest too much to ask for?" Toph grinded her teeth at the obscene noises seeping through her door's crack.

Seizing her blanket, she decided to sleep in Katara's room. At least her room was the furthest away from Sokka's. Walking past Sokka's door, Toph scrunched her face at the sound of groans.

Approaching Katara's door, Toph could tell that her room was vacant. She stomped her foot on the ground. Letting the waves of her surrounding to communicate with her, she let out a sigh of relief; Katara was in the restroom, only a few doors down. Despite the jests targeted towards the Waterbender, she was like the older, caring sister Toph never had. Of course, Toph must fulfill her sisterly duties to pull pranks on Katara.

Stepping away from Katara's room, she journeyed to a different room with a grin on her face.

Balling up her fist, she banged on Zuko's door.

"Zuko, your assistance is needed!"

An annoyed, muffled groan responded back, followed with, "Can't it wait until tomorrow?"

"Nope, it's an emergency."

Zuko opened the door and peered down at her smile. That smile did not sit well with him. "It sure doesn't sound like an emergency."

"Oh, it is. The toilet is clogged." She crossed her arms and frowned. "I went in, and I smelled this terrible stench! I figured someone forgot to flush, so I tried to flush it myself, but nothing happened. I blame Sokka."

"You can't do your business outside?" Zuko was not in the mood to fix the toilet at this hour.

"No, besides, it stinks in there. It's your house. You would know how to correct the situation. Let me know when you finish! I will be waiting in Katara's room." Before Zuko could even question why she would be going there, Toph swiftly left.

"To think, one day I am trying to capture the Avatar, the next; I am a plumber for one of his friends." Running his hand through his hair, he stopped his trek when he was at the washroom's entrance. The door was slightly ajar.

Right as he was about to push the door open, he could make out the sound of running water. His heart dropped. Someone was in there, but whom?

Zuko mentally concluded that Toph was exaggerating, and that the so called "horrible stench" can't be that potent if someone is bathing in there. Not wanting to disturb one of his friends, he was going to go back to his room, but froze at the sound of a feminine murmur.

"I'm finally filling out." The running water ceased.

_Katara is in there._

Zuko debated whether to leave, or to stay and watch. Departing would be chivalrous, but he really wanted to steal a glance. Sighing, he stood there staring at the door handle.

x x x

Katara's head resurfaced after her relaxing moments of submersion.

_I guess I should finally head to bed. Maybe tomorrow I will spend some time with Zuko, to get to know him better. Hopefully, talking to him might clear up any foggy ideas and desires about him. _

Getting out of the tub Katara picked up her towel from the floor, and began drying herself off. She wrapped the towel over her shoulders. She could have used her waterbending to dry herself, but she loved the feeling of being covered by a towel. Sometimes, she would imagine that instead of a towel, a lover would be embracing her.

Smiling at her silly fantasies, she decided to waterbend the rest of herself dry. Once she had her under wrappings on and Fire Nation garb in her hands, she took a couple of steps before opening the door.

x x x

Zuko stiffened as he heard soft footsteps getting louder.

_Shit. She's coming!_

Not wanting to face her wrath, he scurried back to his room.

x x x

Katara stepped out of the washroom and noticed a figure making hasty steps in the corridor. She dropped her things and took off after the suspicious offender.

_What if a Fire Nation spy found us? _

Her mind was frantic, and became even more frenzied when the intruder ran into Zuko's room. Katara barged into his room, bending her knees and arms into a defensive stance.

"Katara!" He felt his heart slamming against his ribcage. _Great, now she is going to think I'm a pervert._

"Zuko?" she narrowed her eyes to scan his room. Realizing that she spotted no one else but the slightly out of breath Firebender, her blue eyes went large before turning into slits. Clenching her fists, she yelled, "You pervert! You were spying on me when I was taking a bath, weren't you?"

"No! I promise you that I didn't look," he pleaded. _Though, if I knew I would be blamed regardless I would have snuck a peek. Damned if I do, damned if I don't. _He mentally chided himself for his earlier indecisiveness.

"Oh really? Then tell me, if you weren't peeping at me, why did you rush back to your room?" Katara marched up to Zuko, and jabbed her pointer finger at his chest. "Only a guilty person would run!"

"You know, Sweetness, Zuko is actually telling the truth."

Katara and Zuko both looked over toward the door to see Toph leaning against the door frame.

"Also, I am crashing in your room tonight, Katara. So keep it down you two. Oh, and Zuko, I used the bathroom by Aang's room instead." Toph turned to make her leave with a huge grin on her face. Those two are way too fun to not mess with.

When Toph was out of sight, Katara reluctantly faced Zuko.

"You were telling the truth?" she paused, experiencing some guilt for accusing him so harshly. "Sorry that I yelled at you," she apologized. She awkwardly rubbed her hand against her other arm. Zuko nodded at her apology, but she quickly added, "I still would like to know why you ran from me!"

Of course he couldn't get off that easy.

"W-well, Toph woke me up because she wanted me to fix the toilet in the washroom. I figured it would be the one closest to her room, but I wasn't aware that you were occupying it." He stopped talking, noting Katara's skeptic face. "Then I heard someone coming to the door. I ran because I didn't want it to appear that I was encroaching on their privacy." She seemed pleased with his answered, but she still furrowed her eyebrows.

"I guess I still don't know you that well. And here I thought you were being a no good pervert!" She let out a light titter. Katara felt a little self-conscious when she discovered that he actually did not look. He seemed interested earlier, was his earlier gawking at the beach just spur of the moment? Did he not deem her attractive enough to leer at? Did she want him to look? Now she was beginning to feel like the depraved one.

"Would you like to get to know me better?" He knew he was putting his neck out there, but he yearned for some bonding time with her.

_Yes, yes, yes, yes!_

Katara silenced her inner chant before nodding. "Yes, I would love to." Then maybe she can finally organize her cluttered emotions.

"How about before dinner we go somewhere, like on the back porch, and just talk?" He would have preferred to spend the morning with her, but he knew that she enjoyed sleeping in.

"Can we do it sometime after dinner? I promised Aang earlier that we would do practice some waterbending," she tried to hide the disappointment in her voice of having to delay their rendezvous. She didn't want to sound too eager.

His body stiffened at the mention of Aang. As much as he liked Aang, he was a force to be reckoned with. Zuko saw Aang's adoration towards the Waterbender. Attempting to pacify the biting guilt that he felt by proposing the date-like situation, he justified it as an opportunity to understand his peer better. The more he knows about Katara, the more efficient they can be on the battlefield, he reasoned. Besides, it takes two to tango.

"Yeah, we can do it after dinner. If you want to, I can help you with dishes again," he teased.

She chuckled, "That won't be necessary. Sokka will do it since it was his fault that we were stuck with them today."

"You sound pretty confident that he will do them." Feeling a bit tired he decided to take a seat on his bed.

Following his suit, she took a seat next to him. "He will wash those dishes if he knows what is good for him."

Zuko smiled at her fierceness, it was one of his favorite attributes that she possessed; especially when he wasn't her opponent.

Katara observed Zuko's profile. His eyes told her that he was somewhere lost in thought, but his joyful expression must have had a trickle effect because her lips tugged upwards as well. Zuko's smile was more becoming than the scowl that used to adorn his face.

_He is so handsome. _

"What has made you so happy all of the sudden?" Katara's curiosity couldn't be contained.

The Firebender's eyes slightly widened. _How long did I zone out for?_

"I am glad to be on the right side." It wasn't a complete lie. He was at peace within himself since the conversion. All of this led to the added bonus of being able to pursue an amiable relationship with Katara and her feistiness. He concluded that his response was an indirectly truthful.

"Me too, I'm happy you're with us."

Katara's words hung in the air. The silence exposed the underlying tension that was present. It dawned on her that she was alone with Zuko in his room at night. The thought alone sounded a little naughty. Her cheeks grew hotter. She subconsciously bit her lip.

For awhile he was staring straight ahead, but for the past couple of minutes he could feel her eyes on him. He turned to her to ask why she was staring, only to be in awe of her cerulean orbs. Even through the darkness, he was still able to make out most of her features. Her lips became center of his attention. What would it be like to kiss her? Zuko knew that quelling his raging hormones should be the top priority, but her presence wasn't making it easy. It was nighttime, and here was a beautiful, compassionate Waterbender in his bed nibbling her lip. He began to lean towards her.

Katara's breathing picked up as she saw Zuko coming closer to her. He stopped with ample space between their faces.

"It's getting late. We really need to get some rest," his husky voice sent tingles down Katara's back.

Her voice lowered as she replied, "Yeah. I will see you tomorrow."

A part of her wanted to linger in his room longer, but she knew that Zuko had to get up early and train Aang. He does rise with the sun. Getting up, she took lazy paces to the door. Craning her neck to see him, she wished him a pleasant night.

"Thanks, good night, Katara."

Finding her way back to her room, she found a sleeping Toph in her bed. Rolling her eyes at the sprawled out limbs, she crawled in next to her. Katara snuggled her head into the pillow and let out a quiet squeal.

"Took you long enough."

Katara sat up and screamed. Whipping her head to Toph, she asked, "Weren't you asleep? Better yet, I don't mind that you are here, but why are you sleeping in my room?"

"Well, I was asleep until you squealed like a pig-goat. " Toph adjusted her body as to not hog as much space.

"Still doesn't explain why you are here," Katara pursed her lips at the pig-goat remark.

"I couldn't fall asleep to the lovely ballad of moans and fleshy slaps, courtesy of Suki and your brother."

"Ew, okay, I heard enough!" As much as she loved her brother, sex and Sokka just didn't sit well with her. No one wants to imagine their sibling engaging in _those_ activities.

Toph snickered at Katara's disgust.

"Well, it has been a long night, so good night." Only after she heard Toph's good night did she lay back down. Tomorrow would be interesting to say the least. She closed her eyes, ready for sleep to take her in.

x x x

"Five sets of twenty hot squats and a quick spar, and then we can call it a day." Zuko wiped his forehead clean from the continual onslaught of sweaty beads.

Aang huffed, but began his hot squats with Zuko.

"I don't know about you, but as Sokka would say, I definitely 'feel the burn'!" Aang chuckled at his Sokka reference.

Zuko observed Aang's lighthearted nature. Aang had a free spirit, and he was pretty easy to talk to. His Avatar status during this war didn't hinder him from having his carefree, personable moments.

"Yeah, it's a good burn," he responded.

_Is Katara attracted to jaunty guys? Does she find me brooding and too serious? _

Zuko immediately pushed his thoughts off to the side to concentrate the task at hand: training the Avatar.

One hundred hot squats later, they readied themselves for their spar.

Aang shut his eyes momentarily and took a deep breath. Without missing a beat, Zuko charged at Aang with a punch full of flames. Sensing Zuko's form drawing near, he used his airbending to sweep himself away from the strike.

"I wasn't ready!" His lower lip jutted out into a tiny pout.

"Always be ready!" Still running towards the Airbender, Zuko threw a series of flame bursts.

Aang made an 'X' with his arms before firebending the incoming flames to either side of him. Zuko caught up to the young monk to fight in a closer range. He attempted to push Aang backwards by kicking flames near Aang's lean chest. Taking steady steps back, Aang avoided every kicked. Aang lowered his knees before darting his fist towards Zuko's feet. He let out a low, wide, wave of flame catching Zuko off guard. Zuko stumbled as he jumped to dodge the attack. The Airbender utilized the moment to send rapid, flaming punches at banished Prince's torso. Falling on the ground on his rear, Zuko looked up and smiled.

"You've gotten better."

Beaming, Aang strode over to Zuko and offered his hand. "Thanks, Sifu Hotman!" Zuko rolled his eyes at the term, but smiled inwardly to himself.

"You're welcome. Thanks," he said as he was being pulled up. Wiping the dirt off his clothes, the two headed back to their temporary residence.

"I hope Toph won't go too hard on me today for our session."

"She probably will. I have seen you two earthbend, and as tough as she is, her teaching methods are suitable." He felt for Aang. Firebending training was always critical in his past. The intricacies of breathing, form, and method of attack would overwhelm him when he was younger. Having to master two other elements in a limited period of time was a heavy burden.

"Yeah, but at least Katara's lesson is after Toph's," Aang breathed out a soft, happy sigh. He made no effort to conceal his dreamy face. "She is gentler with me, and it can be relaxing at times."

Zuko wanted to spend time with Katara like that. He has seen Katara's mothering nature towards the group; it was endearing. He deduced that she would be the type of person to give her all to that special someone. She would be the one who would love unconditionally.

Upon reaching his home, he bid greetings to the other members of the household. He smiled and gave his hello to Katara. He was excited for his hangout with Katara. After hearing her greeting, he went to his room to rest.

x x x

All morning she had been looking forward to their evening. Katara was in the middle of a conversation with Suki when Aang and Zuko returned from their training. When Zuko flashed Katara his pearly whites, she stared. Suki took note of her friend's changed demeanor. Following Katara's eyes she saw Zuko. Suki gave her own acknowledgement to him, and watched the two exchanged their salutations.

_It is almost like a date. _Katara felt giddy and silly all at the same time.

As soon as Zuko left the room, Suki looked at Katara. "Okay, Katara, spill it."

* * *

**AN: **I am SO sorry for the lateness of this chapter! I wanted to finish this chapter sooner, but I recently took in two kittens, so my time was limited. On the bright side, however, this will be the longest you guys have to wait for a chapter! I promise to get these chapters out quicker.

I would like to say, **thank you for the reviews!**They really motivated me to get this chapter done ASAP. I love hearing your feedback, so please keep them coming. I don't have a beta, so I can't guarantee my work to have perfect grammar, but if you guys see anything let me know and I will take a look at it! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I will keep 'em coming!

Just to give you peeps a little insight on the story. I want to flesh out the emotions between them, because I feel after the raider's episode they really don't know each other that well. They know things about each other, but for the most part, not from each other. Additionally, Katara would be concern about worldly issues, but she is at the age where she may feel insecure or unsure about herself, in my opinion. It is a little harder to get into the mind of a teenage prince, but let's just see where this goes. Sound good? Oh, and this is rated M for a reason.


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